Nate Jones

I am fortunate to have met Nate and over the last few years I have experienced his presence in various capacities. To summarize, he is nothing short of stellar. He pours his heart in everything he does. His penchant for helping people and ability to listen, observe and process shows up in everything he does. I have learned so much under his guidance during my yoga teacher training at Almaden Yoga. His classes are challenging yet very meditative. His understanding of the human anatomy empowers him to carefully hit the right spots in Thai Massage. For the wealth of knowledge & empathy that Nate has, his spiritual workshops and guided meditations provide a safe space to reflect deeply on our inner challenges and overcome them with grace and agility. I often like to say, “I need a little bit of Nate dose in my life”.

I had never having a Thai massage but doing yard work that is taxing on my neck, back, and legs at 50; I reached out for Nate’s expertise. During his first visit, he advised that if he did it right, I should be an Energizer bunny at work and sleep soundly that night. Sure enough, I was all energy, no pain, slept like a baby and deeply in the mattress. I prescheduled a future massage four days later, as I was going to be doing heavy labor in the yard, and figured I’d be broken before his next visit. Instead he shows up, after a drastic difference to the yard; yet I know not why you’re here, as I have zero pain. Effective that first visit I was sold on his services. His first adjustment, as I call it, took 20 years easy off this body, been seeing him consistently every two weeks since. Highly recommend Nate as he is personable, professional, trustworthy, and knowledgable. about what pressure point affects what issue. No lubricants, no oils, no clean up, just a relaxing massage, with some of the simplest exercises or stretches; yet all make a HUGE difference in you. You owe it to yourself to do it at least once…you’ll more than likely become a regular.

I have known Nathan from the time he was a student at Almaden Yoga and I have been his student since he began teaching four years ago. ‘Contemplative Hatha,’ is how I would sum up Nathan’s way of teaching yoga. He braids four strands in his teaching: asanas, meditation, journaling (here I am using the word loosely to mean all that he does in his Grateful Heart courses,not just writing down one’s thoughts in the little book), and finally, massage. All are present individually and together at any given time thus covering multiple aspects of the physical and the subtle body. Yoga practice with Nathan is a harmonious experience; it is about the joy of being in becoming. When he teaches asanas, Nathan’s sutra is ‘less is more;’ he is all about building from ground up; no unnecessary hurry here: find your sea legs first and then move. However, movement is only secondary. Breath is the be all and end all, the force and the field. He never forgets to remind you to breathe deeply, to enjoy the breath as it moves the limbs and charges the heart and mind. Occasionally, he interlaces yogasanas with Qi gong, extending the field of energy in a different direction. Practising with him, I have learnt to stretch and spread the toes to ground myself firmly and to balance; because he reiterates it constantly, I have learnt to make movement and pose secondary to breath, to yield to Qi for strength and stability. Lastly, there is the narrative that accompanies every session: Nathan’s philosophical comments lightly peppered with a wry note or a soft chuckle here and there because of which I have been able to bring my body into a better state of balance with the mind than ever before. Imagination plays a central role in Nate’s meditation practices. He is deep into non-dualism and evokes lovely images from the natural world to lead the yielding self through levels of awareness into its inner space and beyond, into a deep quiet. It is a truly situating and rejuvenating experience. From time to time, I reach out for that image of a pure, untouched space deep in the silent forest to bring my blood pressure down. Often at night, I log into one of his videos to glide into restful slumber. Through his Grateful Heart courses, Nathan offers fun, simple strategies for clean and effective living; he provides the words to reimagine yourself as a beautiful, purposeful, creative being. I have taken the six week Living with Grateful Heart course and it taught me to look at myself again, to remember who I am and want to be (you tend to forget it when you are constantly thinking of how others perceive you). His course taught me to be present to myself, deeply and consistently. I learnt to accept myself as I am, not in a manner of consolation but as a matter of pride. I got back on my path leaving behind any fears and doubts. I had massages from Nathan in the good old days when one could. Since COVID, I have done a couple of self massages with him on Zoom. He brings to massage the strength of asana practice, the generous heart and love of his courses, and the calm of his meditation process to revitalize the body along the various channels. A good teacher makes you hungry for more, and Nathan does just that. He is now my guru. I look forward to many more years of learning with him.